Slope-side boulder fields and an old wildfire scar make this whole 6.7-mile (round-trip) route open and scenic—from the ruins of a 19th-century silver mine to infinity views at the summit after an easy-to-navigate scramble. Drive in on 25 miles of dirt roads (with camping) and park at the base of a steep climb (just after a hairpin right turn). Hike up the now-4WD road 1.9 miles to broad, deep Ajax Lake (with good fishing for lake trout and cutthroat) and a rundown miner’s cabin on the far shore. Trace the shoreline north on a fisherman’s trail. Turn west where a talus fall reaches the water, and hike up naked scree to a lonely, old-growth pine that sits in the bowl beneath the Ajax/point 9,522 saddle. Keep climbing west 780 vertical feet to gain the ridgeline. Turn north and climb 500 feet of class 2 talus, then boulder-hop to the roof-gable summit, with vistas north and south along the spine of the Beaverheads. Strong hikers can descend back to the saddle and follow cairns south along the class 2 ridge to bag point 10,042 as well.

TO TRAILHEAD: 68 miles northwest of Dillon; 45.351303, -113.695633

Position Format:

Datum:

Tracks

AJAX LK-AJAX PK

Distance: 0.75 mi

Points: 125

Calories: none

Total Time: none

Speed: 0.0 mph

Pace: 0:00 / mi

Active Time: none

Speed: 0.0 mph

Pace: 0:00 / mi

AJAX PEAK TRACK

Distance: 5.92 mi

Points: 305

Calories: none

Total Time: 5:00:31

Speed: 1.2 mph

Pace: 50:47 / mi

Active Time: none

Speed: 1.2 mph

Pace: 50:47 / mi

Points of Interest

APe001

Location: 45.351303, -113.695633
End of the road for 2WD vehicles. Park along the road and continue on foot.

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